The Right Man
by QwayMelqnu
Summary: The weather was perfect. The setting was perfect. The decorations were perfect. The dress was absolutely flawless and the man she was about to marry was as perfect as they come. So why was Ginny Weasley sitting alone in her dressing room with tears in her


**The Right Man**

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Summary: The weather was perfect. The setting was perfect. The decorations were perfect. The dress was absolutely flawless and the man she was about to marry was as perfect as they come. So why was Ginny Weasley sitting alone in her dressing room with tears in her eyes?

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This was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. And it was. But it was nowhere near as perfect as she hoped it would be.

Ginny Weasley was sitting quietly in the corner of her dressing room, trying to hold back the tears she knew was coming. Her mother had just finished helping her get dressed when Ginny screamed at her to get out. It wasn't the nicest thing to do, of course, but Ginny's mind was in one place, and her Mum's was in another. The comments of beauty and squeals of joy were too much to take at the moment and Ginny needed some time to catch her breath.

After a few minutes of silent sobs, Ginny dabbed the tears from her eyes and thought back to when she was just eight years old…

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"…And so the Dark Lord was vanquished. From that day forward, Harry Potter would forever be known as 'The Boy Who Lived'."

"_Read another one Daddy!"_

_Her father smiled warmly and set his hand on her forehead. "I think you've had enough Harry Potter for one night. It's time for sleep."_

"_But Dad!"_

"_No buts Ginny." _

_She put on her puppy-dog eyes and pouted, she knew her Dad couldn't resist._

"_That look won't work forever you know." _

_She blinked a few times, keeping her sad-face on._

_Her Dad sighed. "I'll read you another one tomorrow, how's that sound?"_

"_Promise?"_

_Her Dad chuckled as he tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear. "Just what is it that you find so fascinating about Harry Potter?" _

"_He's a hero Dad!" She said this as if it was an absolute fact and that it was ridiculous that anyone might think otherwise. " And one day, I'm going to marry him!" _

_Her Dad chuckled again. "Is that so, huh? Well, I'll have to meet this Harry Potter if I'm gonna be giving my little Firecracker away to him someday." He reached over and pulled the blankets over his daughter._

"_Do you really think I'll meet him someday Daddy?"_

"_If I know my little girl, there's nothing in this world that could keep that from happening." He stood and kissed her forehead. "G'night Ginevra. Sweet dreams."_

"_Love you Dad." She said as her father headed toward the bedroom door._

"_Love you too hun." And just before he shut the door, they caught each other's eyes and traded smiles once more…"_

_-------------------- _

"Ginny?"

The voice coming from the other side of the room made Ginny jump as she was brought out of her memories. "Hermione?"

Hermione caught sight of Ginny's reddened eyes and quickly crossed the room with concern on her face. "Ginny, what's wrong? The ceremony is about to start. Is everything okay?"

Ginny took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, I just…" She shook her head, unable to continue.

"Whatever it is, I'll get it for you, just tell me what you need." Hermione was now standing beside her best friend, rubbing her back affectionately.

Ginny shook her head again as she attempted to clean up any evidence of crying with some tissue. "This isn't something anyone can fix for me 'Mione. I'm just gonna to have to deal with it."

"What is it? Do you wanna talk about it?"

"No…No, I think I'll be fine. It's just…things aren't turning out the way I imagined them."

Hermione knew what the problem likely was, but she thought it would be best to let Ginny come to terms with it on her own. There truly wasn't anything anyone could offer at this point except comfort and understanding.

"Well, if there's anything I can get you, just let me know. And if there's a problem when we're up there, just give me a signal and I'll take care of everything."

Ginny looked up at her Maid of Honor and attempted a smile. "I'll be fine when I get up there 'Mione. The difficulty will be in getting there."

"Are you sure you don't want one of your brothers…?"

"Honestly, I think that'd just make it even harder. I think this is probably the best way."

"Well, if you're sure. You know I'll support you no matter what you decide. "

"I know, thanks for that Hermoine."

"What are Maids of Honor for?" She offered a sympathetic smile. Ginny smiled back.

Both girls jumped when a loud knock came at the door. Just as the door started to open, Hermione bolted to it and slammed it shut.

"Ow! Bloody hell!"

"Ron?"

"Hermione? What did you do that for?"

"Ginny's all dressed, I thought you might be Harry."

"Well of course I'm not Harry!"

"How was I supposed to know that?"

"Just let me in please, I have something for Ginny from Harry."

Both girls looked puzzled at each other. Ginny shrugged and nodded.

Hermione opened the door to see Ron rubbing his nose. "Sorry about that Ron." She smiled innocently.

Ron tried to look upset but he could never hold a grudge against Hermione. "Don't worry about it."

"You said you have something for me from Harry?" Ginny was watching the couple with curiosity.

"Yeah." Ron crossed the room holding a small white box. "He wants you to open this just before you walk down the aisle."

"What is it?"

"He didn't tell me. He just asked me to tell you to make sure you didn't open it till the moment you were about to walk down the aisle."

Ginny exchanged another puzzled look with Hermione.

"Merlin, Ginny, you look bloody fantastic!" Ron said with amazement.

Ginny was stunned. Ron never gave her compliments. "Er…thanks Ron."

"You really do Gin, Harry's not gonna know what hit him."

Ginny smiled but could only hold it for a moment. Ron saw this and stepped closer to his sister.

"You sure you wanna do it like this Gin? You know I wouldn't mind doing it. None of us would."

"I'm sure Ron, thank you." She looked directly at him to let him know she was indeed sure.

"Alright then. Good luck sis. And I want a dance at the reception." Ron leaned over and pecked her on the cheek.

Ginny smiled and watched her brother turn to leave. Hermione was still standing near the door, as Ron walked toward it. Ginny could tell he whispered something to her before making his exit.

"What did he say?"

"He said he wanted the first dance with me." Hermione beamed.

"So the git's finally getting his priorities straight?"

"I believe he is."

"Good."

"So are you okay to do this?"

"Yeah, I think I am. Thanks Hermione. And Ron helped a bit too, make sure you thank him for me."

"I just might do that."

"I'm sure you will." She winked Hermione and gave a knowing smile.

"Well, I've got to get back out there. It should be starting any moment." Hermione got up from her chair and offered another hug. "Good luck. You'll do fine."

"I know. What would I do without you Hermione?"

They exchanged smiles one more time before Hermione disappeared behind the door.

Ginny looked around the empty dressing room, then down at the small white box in her hand. She took a moment to try and figure out what it could be, but nothing came to mind.

"Ginny?"

Ginny looked up to see her mother's head poking in through the opened door. "Mum, I'm sorry about before, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"It's okay dear, I understand. I just don't see why you won't…"

"Mum!"

"Fine…fine, I won't bring it up again. It's just…it's not how I imagined things…"

"I know Mum, me either."

"Well, I just wanted to let you know, it's time."

Ginny ran to her mother and gave her as big a hug as she could muster, "Thanks Mum, for everything."

"I still can't believe this day is here already. My baby's getting married!" She looked like she was about to cry.

"Me too Mum."

"Well, I better find my seat." She started to move but hesitated. "We love you, you know that right?"

"I know Mum, I Love you too."

Her mother offered another smile and whispered, "Good luck dear," as she kissed her daughter on the forehead before turning to leave.

When the door closed, Ginny was left alone once more. As she waited for the music to start she took one more look around the room and sighed, "It's time."

When the music started Ginny reached for the doorknob. Nerves had taken over and she wanted to get a glimpse of what she was about to get herself into.

The first thing she noticed upon opening the door was the bright sunlight filtering through multi-colored stained glass windows. When her eyes adjusted properly to the light, Ginny looked down toward the rows of chairs lining the chapel. Every head in the building was focused on the back of the room where she was going to be standing in a few moments.

But before it got to that point, there was to be a procession of Groomsmen and Bridesmaids. Ginny watched as Neville Longbottom joined arms with Luna Lovegood. Neville tripped on the way to the front and she couldn't help but chuckle. Next was Fred, joining arms with Moira Thompson, one of Ginny's roommates from Hogwarts. Then came George, locking arms with Katie Bell, one of her teammates back on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. The last pair to join arms was the Best Man and the Maid of Honor. Ron had the stupidest grin on his face as he offered his arm, and Hermione was only too happy to take it.

When Ron and Hermione found their place at the front of the room, the music had changed. This was it. This was the wall Ginny had to climb over.

Ginny took a few deep breaths and glanced down at her hands, making sure she had the flowers and the box that Harry had given her. Once she was calm enough to move her legs, she opened the door and walked through.

As Ginny stepped past the threshold, her eyes wandered to the opposite side of the room at the door to the men's dressing room. She paused a moment and nearly broke down on the spot. It had finally sunk in that no one would be walking through that door to join arms with her…

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"_Ginny?"_

_She looked up at Ron and nodded. Ron's face was flushed red and his eyes were as puffy as she had ever seen. As she stood to walk into the room he emerged from, Ron put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a meaningful look as he took her place in the chair._

_Once she was through the door, she hesitated. On the other side of the room, surrounded by odd instruments and half-empty potion flasks, was a hospital bed. She couldn't bring herself to walk any further, afraid to face the inevitable._

"_Don't be afraid pumpkin. Come here." His voice was as comforting as it had ever been._

_She slowly continued toward the bed, sniffling and wiping her tears away with her sleeve. Each step brought her closer to seeing his face, and she knew that when it was in full view, she would completely lose it. She broke her gaze from the bed and stared at the floor as she took the seat next to him._

"_My little Firecracker."_

_That was it. She couldn't help it as she jumped up from the chair and wrapped her arms around her father, burying her head in his shoulder._

"_Daddy."_

"_Oof!" He winced in pain at the sudden force applied to his chest. "Careful dear."_

_She broke off and stood back. "I'm sorry, I…"_

"_That's quite alright honey, come here and give me another. Just be a little more gentle." She did as he asked._

"_Daddy. Are they sure…?" She looked into his eyes, pleading for an answer that wouldn't take him away from her._

_He took a deep breath and put his hand on her cheek. "Yes Ginny, they're sure."_

"_But that means that…"_

"_It could be an hour, it could be a day."_

_She stood up again and turned away, folding her arms and looking angrily at the opposite wall. "Damn them! And damn this war!"_

"_Honey, come here."_

"_Why did it have to be you?!"_

"_You know why I did it, I had no choice."_

"_But you did! You could have let it hit him!"_

"_I know you and your brother don't see eye to eye at the moment, but he is still my son, Ginny. And he's still your brother. I had no choice."_

"_But it was his fault in the first place!"_

"_He had no idea what he was doing Ginny. He was under the Imperius."_

"_Well it's his fault he couldn't resist it…Harry can resist it."_

"_I don't want you blaming Percy for this, it's not his fault. It's Voldemort's fault and no one else's. Your brother is already near the point of being inconsolable."_

_Ginny turned around again to look him in the eyes. She was now crying in earnest. "This isn't how it was supposed to be!"_

"_I knew the risks going in. So did everyone else. I know that doesn't make it any easier hun, but I had hoped you might be a little more prepared for this."_

"_Prepared? How in Merlin's name can anyone prepare for something like this?!"_

"_Ginny, please…I don't want to spend my time…"_

"_Oh, Daddy, I'm so sorry!" She bent over and hugged him again._

_After a few moments of just holding each other, she looked up at him with sadness in her eyes. He smiled._

"_Do you wanna know what I regret the most about taking that curse?"_

_Ginny barely nodded._

"_That I won't be there at your wedding to give you away."_

"_Oh, Daddy." She cried louder._

_He rubbed her back and tried to shush the pain away like any parent would. "I can only imagine how beautiful you'll be."_

"_I wish you could be there Daddy."_

"_I know hun…I know."_

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Once she arrived at the spot where she was to begin her slow walk to the altar, Ginny's eyes were filled with tears. She had no shoulder to cry on at the moment, and no arm to hold for comfort. She was alone.

She turned toward the front of the chapel and looked up to the crowd. She was able to recognize quite a few people as she scanned through the concerned faces. Most of the guests were from her side of the family, since Harry's only blood relatives refused to attend.

Her brother Bill looked like he was about to get up, but she waved him back. Her mother was looking at her with a mix of joy and sadness, and of course her sobs were the loudest in the room. She looked over at Ron as he gave her the most understanding look he could give. Their fathers passing had hit the two youngest Weasley's the hardest and they were often found comforting each other.

Next she looked at her Bridesmaids and the Maid of Honor. All four of them had tears in their eyes, but Hermione looked especially nervous and worried. Ginny 's pause at the end of the aisle lasted longer than anyone had expected, and the silence in the room brought her out of her stupor.

Ginny took a few deep breaths to calm herself as she looked in the direction of her future husband. She was surprised to see that he was smiling. It wasn't one of those goofy grins he usually had, and it wasn't one of those huge smiles he had after catching the snitch. It was the most calm and caring smile she had ever seen him give.

His gaze brought her back from her sadness and she was finally able to get control of her tears. After a few sniffles she looked at him and smiled back, just in time to catch his eyes glancing down at her bouquet of flowers.

She suddenly remembered the white box he had given her. She glanced down at the box in her hand and looked back up at her fiancé. He smiled again, urging her to open it. And so she did.

The crowd watched in curiosity as the bride opened the small box she had in her hands.

When Ginny saw what was inside, she dropped the flowers and gasped as she put her now-free hand over her mouth. The crowd began to murmur with concern.

Ginny pulled the item from the box and held it in one hand while caressing the smooth surface with the other. It was a Muggle pocket watch. It was her Dad's pocket watch…

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"…_What's that Daddy?" Little six-year old Ginny hopped onto her father's lap and pointed to a shiny golden trinket on the nightstand._

"_It's called a pocket watch. It's a Muggle device that tells time."_

"_I thought Muggles couldn't use magical things?"_

"_Oh, this isn't magical, darling, on the inside that watch is filled with tiny mechanical gears and springs."_

"_How does it work without magic then?" She picked it up and examined it._

"_I'm not really sure. All I know is that you're supposed to turn the little knob a few times and it will keep working. But this one's been broken for a while now."_

"_So why do you still wear it all the time?"_

"_Oh, I only wear it for special occasions. And I wear it because it has sentimental value."_

"_Why?"_

_He chuckled. "Aren't we little miss curiosity this morning?"_

"_When did you get it?"_

"_Well Ginny, this was given to me by my father on your birthday. He told me that this watch has been passed down through the Weasley family for generations to any male that was lucky enough to have a daughter." He smiled at her._

"_You got that because of me?"_

"_Yup, and I couldn't be prouder."_

"_So if any of my brothers have a little girl, they get it?"_

"_That's right."_

"_What happens if they don't?"_

"_Then I pick one of them to hold onto it until a Weasley daughter is born."_

"_Can I have it?"_

"_I'm afraid not honey. It has to stay with the Weasley name."_

_She folded her arms and pouted. "That's not fair."_

_He chuckled. "That's my little Firecracker." He turned her around on his lap and gave her a hug. "Don't worry about it honey, by the time you've found the right man, you won't care one bit about this old hunk of metal."_

"_You really think so?"_

"_I know so. Once I've given you away, and you're at the altar kissing your new husband, this watch will be the furthest thing from your mind."_

"_Kissing? Eww!"_

_He laughed. "Just remember that for about the next fifteen years."_

"_Remember what?"_

_He laughed again. "Nothing, never mind, why don't we go see if your mother needs any help with dinner?" She nodded as he picked her up into his arms and carried her down the stairs…_

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Ginny looked up from the watch in her hand and stared directly at Harry in amazement. He just smiled back. She looked back down at the watch and started to cry again, but this time, they were tears of happiness.

She couldn't hold it in any longer. Ginny kicked off her shoes and lifted her dress just enough so that her legs would have enough freedom to move. She kicked the flowers out of the way and ran up the aisle as fast as her dress would allow.

The crowd gasped at her unorthodox actions and gawked with curiosity as the bride ran up the aisle and wrapped the groom in her arms as she wept.

"Harry! How did you…?"

Harry spoke quietly into her ear. "I asked him about it at Bill's wedding when I saw him looking at it. He told me the whole story. He also told me about the conversation you had with him when you were little."

"Oh, Harry, you have no idea how much this means to me."

"When you made the decision to walk alone, I knew it would be difficult for you, so I asked your Mum if I could borrow it. I figured it might help to at least have a piece of him with you."

"It did…it does, Harry, I can't believe…" Ginny took her head off his shoulder and looked into his eyes with a wide smile on her face. Without thinking about the chapel full of family and friends, she kissed him with almost enough passionate force to knock him over. Once he recovered from the shock of what she was doing, Harry returned the kiss with almost equal adoration.

"Ahem." The minister smiled at the couple as they broke apart and looked at him with embarrassment. "I hate to break you two up, but I think we should get things moving along." Ginny and Harry glanced out at the crowd and smiled sheepishly. "Besides…that part comes a little later. Now, if you will?" The minister smiled again and directed them to their places.

Ginny took her place next to Hermione and Harry took his place next to Ron. Everyone in the room was positively beaming with happiness as the couple gazed into each other's eyes.

Ginny couldn't help but cry with joy as the ceremony began. She was about to marry the love of her life and he had just shown a prime example of why he was so perfect for her. He understood her to the core and he knew exactly what she needed and when she needed it.

Ginny looked down at the watch in her hand and smiled. An amazing sense of warmth washed over her and she could almost feel his presence next to her. It felt as if he was still there, standing next to her, giving her the type of hug that only a father would give his daughter.

As if it floated in on a breeze, Ginny heard her father's voice in the back of her mind. "I love you honey… My little Ginevra."

"I love you too Daddy." Ginny responded in a whisper.

Ginny looked up from the watch and caught her fiancé's eyes again. In the background she could barely hear the ministers words as he posed the Groom's question to Harry. As the minister finished his script, Harry smiled brightly and, without hesitation, looked straight into her eyes and said, "I do."

There was no doubt in her mind now.

Ginny knew she had found the right man.

_**A/N:**_ _I wrote this story on a whim today at work while listening to MP3's on my PSP…_

_If you can't tell already, the idea for this story is loosely based on the Christina Aguilera song, "The Right Man", but I obviously made a few creative changes in order to make it fit into the HP universe: In the song, Christina is talking about a bad, or deadbeat father, but in my story, I went instead with a loving father that passed away…_

_The waterworks were flowing while I wrote this, as you can imagine, so I hope I translated it well into written words…_

_Being a father of three myself (Two of which are girls), it might have been a little easier to put myself in the story, but I do hope it brings out some emotion for you guys too…_

_And, as always, reviews are welcome and appreciated! - **Qway**_


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